


Winter's Heart

by IceQueenofMitera



Series: Dragon Age One Shots [4]
Category: Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: F/M, First Day (Dragon Age), First Love, Human Noble Origin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-23
Updated: 2016-05-23
Packaged: 2018-06-10 07:36:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6945952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IceQueenofMitera/pseuds/IceQueenofMitera
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>At the Couslands' Annual First Day Celebration, two friends take the leap to lovers after a snowy confession</p>
            </blockquote>





	Winter's Heart

Rory stood nervously at the bottom of the staircase that led to the personal chambers of the Couslands. Tonight was their First Day celebration, a night of dancing and socializing to celebrate the new year. And he was escorting his close friend, Akela Cousland, to the festivities. For the past several months, she’d been bombarded with requests from the sons of every Bann and Arl under the Couslands to allow them to escort her to the celebration. Knowing her, she probably threatened bodily harm to each one of them. She’d taken out her frustrations on the dummies in the training yard. When Rory had joined her and asked what was wrong, Akela had asked him to escort her instead. They’d grown up together, trained together and Rory probably knew her better than anyone else, save Fergus. How he hadn’t managed to stammer though his acceptance was beyond him. The knight heard soft footsteps and looked towards the top of the stairs. Akela’s dark brown hair hung loose about her shoulders with a small part pulled back and secured with a sapphire hair piece. She wore a dress of the same color that left her shoulders bare. As she lifted her skirt to descend the stairs towards him, Rory saw that she wore matching shoes. She was a vision tonight. It was one of the rare times he’d seen her in something other than her usual armor.

 

Akela smiled as she took Rory’s hand the last few steps.

“You look ravishing,” She could feel the heat in her cheeks. And elsewhere.

“Thank you,” She’d had a crush on him for some time, she just didn’t know how to approach him about it. She had been delighted when he accepted her invitation. Akela hated going to any of the holiday celebrations and random salons her family threw but, as the youngest child of the Couslands, she was required to at least make an appearance. One reason she hated them was the Banns and Arls’ sons and some of the Banns and Arls themselves would stare at her and constantly ask after her. Their wives were no better, trying to arrange meeting with their sons. Arl Howe was perhaps the worst. The man had two sons and while she had become friends with the eldest, Nathanial, she really couldn’t stand the youngest, Thomas. She had vented this to Rory many times.

“Shall we go and make a few lordlings jealous?” Rory asked, a grin on his face and offering his arm. Akela smiled and took her partner in crime’s arm.

“Of course,”

 

Several hours into the celebrations, Akela whispered into Rory’s ear and the two slipped out of the main hall. A gentle snow was beginning to fall as they walked out into the courtyard, sticking to their hair.

“Akela, I have something I wish to say to you,” Rory said. He only used her given name when it was only the two of them or Fergus. Otherwise, he addressed her by her titles.

“Yes?”

“I was on cloud nine when you asked me to escort you for tonight. I… truly care for you… deeply,” He gently took her hand and she felt as if her heart would flutter right out of her chest. And to think all this time, she’d been wondering how to broach the subject. Before Rory could utter another word, Akela’s lips were on his, her arms around his neck and her fingers running through his red hair. His arms snaked around her waist and pulled her closer.

 

That simple kiss led to Akela and Rory finding themselves in Akela’s bedchamber, armor and clothing littering the floor and her mabari, Cersei, banished outside. At that moment neither one of them cared that he was a Knight and she was a Teyrn’s daughter. On this winter night, their love had been realized and they had claimed each other’s hearts. Neither had realized before Rory’s confession that the other had felt the same. As Akela lay in Rory’s arms with her head on his firm and chiseled chest, she didn’t wish for this moment to end. Dawn would bring a new day and she had hope that the new year would be a wonderful one with the man she loved. But she hoped the dawn wouldn’t come too soon as she savored the time she had with her knight.


End file.
